Planetary nebula
NGC 6543
Planetary nebula
A shell of gas thrown off by a dying Sun-like star, glowing in the ultraviolet light of the hot core at its centre. Within a few tens of thousands of years it will disperse and fade from view.
| Type | Planetary nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Draco |
| Distance | 890 pc (2.9 thousand ly) |
| Diameter | 0.3 ly |
| Central star | V 11.1 · Of/WR(H) |
| Expansion speed | 20 km/s |
| PN G name | PN G096.4+29.9 |
| Source | Strasbourg–ESO PN Catalogue |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 58m 33.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +66° 37′ 59″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 23° S. North of latitude 23° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out around 878 BC. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 51 million years.